Automatic boiler-feed regulator.



W. F. KRIOHBAUM.

AUTOMATIO BOILER FEED REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5, 1911.

Patented Oct. 7, 1913 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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W. F. KRIOHBAUM. AUTOMATIU BOILER FEED REGULATOR. APPLICATION FILEDAUG.5, 1911. 1975943; Patented 001:. 7, 1913.

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ATTORNEK W. 'F. KRIOHBAUM.

AUTOMATIC BOILER FEED REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5, 1911.

Patented 0013. 7, 1913.

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ATTORNEY.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

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WILLIAM F. KRICI-IBAUM, OF NEVIARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO FOSTER ENGI-NEERING COMPANY, A CORPORATIGN OF NEW JERSEY.

fizUTOMATIC BOILER-FEED REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. '2, 1913.

Application filed August 5, 1911. Serial No. 6%2/189.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM F. Karon- BAUM, acitizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essexand tate of New Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in AutomaticBoiler-Feed Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of automaticboiler feed regulators which operate thermostatically or by theexpansion and contraction of a tube into which steam is admitted by thefall of water level in the boiler and from which it is exeluded by therise of the water, thus maintaining the water at uniform height in saidboiler.

T he objects of the invention are to provide such an automatic feedregulator which shall be very compact in form; to obtain a mechanismwhic 1 shall avoid in its construction the employment of delicate orunreliable devices and arrangements, such as pilot valves, diaphragms,floats, springs, internal working parts and the like; to obtain asimple, strong construction, which shall be efficient in its working; toprovide such a regulator which can be readily and easily 1 attached to aboiler, and to secure other. advantages and results as may be broughtout in the following description.

in the accompanying drawings in which like numerals of referenceindicate the same parts throughout the several figures, Figure 1 is ageneral view of my invention applied. to a typical boiler; Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the regulator alone; Fig. 3 is a rear view of thesame; Fig. 4; is a central vertical longitudinal section taken throughthe upper cap and connections of the expansion tube, and Fig. 5 is alike section taken through the lower cap and connection of said tube tothe boiler, and through the valve which said T expansion tube governs orregulates.

In said drawings, 1 indicates a tube made from any metal having a highcoeflicient of expansion. The lower end of this tube, which stands insubstantially vertical position, is threaded into a base 2, and saidbase preferably has a substantially horizontal extension 3 by which itis mounted upon the valve 4: which governs the flow of water through thefeed pipe 5 to the boiler 6. In said base 2, and leading from the seatfor the lower end of the expansion tube 1, is a hole or passage 7, andpreferably said hole or passage opens through a boss 8 adapted to beconnected, as by coupling and piping 9, 10, to the water column 11 ofthe boiler at a low point thereof, or to the drain pipe 12 of said watercolumn, so as to drain the expansion tube 1. The upper end of saidexpansion tube is threaded to screw into a cap 13, suitably providedwith an outlet 14: adapted to be connected, as by piping 15, with thesaid water column 11 at that point of the height thereof at which it isdesired for the water level to stand. I have shown this pointas at themiddle gage, for purposes of illustration, but obviously it might behigher or lower, if desired. Upon the opposite sides of said cap 13 arelaterally projecting arms 16, 16 each carrying a vertical orsubstantially vertical slideway or sleeve 17 adapted to slidably receivea guide rod 18. The said guide rods 18, 1.8 are socurely fastened in thebase 2, or lateral cars 19 thereof, and project upwardly parallel withone another and with the expansion tube, being connected at their upperends by the yoke 20 at a point above the cap 13. From said yoke 20 atongue 21 projects outwardly and downwardly in the same generaldirection as the base extension 3 and above the same, and provides afulcrum for a bellcrank lever 22, the power or short substan tiallyhorizontal. arm 23 of which rests on an adjustable stud 24 in the top ofthe cap 13 of the expansion tube. Said stud preferably is threaded forits lower end portion to screw into a socket 25 tapped in the top of thecap, a lock nut 26 serving to hold it fast when adjusted, and at its topthe stud has an angular head 27 for turning, ending in a pointed tip 28above said head.

Thework arm 29 of the bell crank 22 is long and projects downwardadjacent to the expansion tube 1. At its lower end said lcng arm ispivotally attached to the power arm 30 of another bell crank 31 which ispivoted, as at 32, to a forked yoke 33 adjustably attached to the guiderods, 18, 18 by means of the split collars 345,3 1. The work arm 35 ofsaid second bell crank 31 works in a slot 36 in the stem of the abovementioned valve 4, the outer end of said arm being properly weighted, asat 37, to normally seat said valve.

The operation of the device is as follows: Normally, the water in theboiler or water column 11 covers and seals the end of the pipe 15leading to the top of the expansion tube 1, so that steam is excludedtherefrom and the tube is cool or contracted. In this condition of theexpansion tube, the long arm 29 of thebell crank lever 22 is free toswing outward from the expansion tube and allow the weight 37 to depressthe arm 35 of the lower bell crank 31, so as to slide the valve properof the valve 4 downward into closed posit-ion, as shown in Fig. 5. Thisprevents water from entering the boiler through the feed pipe 5. Whenthe water gets low in the boiler, it uncovers the opening of the pipe 15into the water column 11 and steam enters through said pipe 15 into theexpansion tube 1, heating the same. Said tube 1 expands as it is heated,carrying its top cap 13 upward with the sleeve 17 sliding upon the rods18, thus pressing upward against the short arm 23 of the bell cranklever 22 and swinging the long arm 29 inward at its lower end or towardthe expansion tube in the drawings. This swings the lower bell cranklever 81 so as to raise the weight 37 and draw the valve proper of thevalve 4: upward to open the same. Such opening of the valve 4 permitswater to flow through the feed pipe 5 into the boiler 6 and obviouslythe flow continues until the steam is again shut off from the expansiontube 1 and said tube contracts sufficiently to close the valve 4.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a boiler feed regulator, the combination of a base adapted to besecured to the boiler feed valve, an expansion tube projecting upwardfrom said base, guide rods at opposite sides of said expansion tube, acap for said expansion tube having arms slidably engaging said guiderods, a yoke connecting said guide rods above said cap, a bell-cranklever fulcrumed on said yoke with one arm extending between the guiderods transversely of the end of the expansion tube and adjacent theretothe other arm of the bell-crank projecting downward longitudinally ofthe expansion tube, a second yoke on said guide rods near the base, asecond bell-crank fulcrumed on said yoke with one arm connected to saiddownwardly projecting arm of the first-mentioned bell-crank, and meansfor connecting the other arm of the second bell-crank to the boiler feedvalve to open and close the same as the expansion tube varies in length.

2. In a boiler feed regulator, the combination of a base adapted to besecured to the boiler feed valve, an expansion tube projecting upwardfrom said base, guide rods at opposite sides of said expansion tube, acap for said expansion tube having arms slidably engaging said guiderods, a yoke con necting said guide rods above said cap, a

bell-crank lever fulcrumed on said yoke with one arm extending betweenthe guide rods transversely of the end of the expansion tube andadjacent thereto the other arm of the bell-crank projecting downwardlongitudinally of the expansion tube, a second bell crank fulcrumed infixed relation to the base adjacent thereto with one arm connected tothe first-mentioned bell-crank, and means for connecting the other armof the second bell-crank to the boiler feed valve to open and close thesame as the expansion tube varies in length.

3. In a boiler lie-ed regulator, the combination of a base adapted to besecured to the boiler feed valve, an expansion tube projecting upwardfrom said base, guide rods at opposite sides of said expansion tube, acap for said expansion tube having arms slidably engaging said guiderods, a yoke connecting said guide rods above said cap, a bell-cranklever pivoted to said yoke with one arm extending between the guide rodstransversely of the end of the expansion tube and adjacent thereto theother arm of the bell-crank projecting downward longitudinally of theexpansion tube, and means for connecting said last-mentioned arm of thebell-crank to the boiler for the valve to open and close the same as theexpansion tube varies in length.

at. In a boiler feed regulator, the combination of a base, an expansiontube projecting upward from said base, guide rods at opposite sides ofsaid expansion tube, a cap for the expansion tube slidably engaging saidguide rods, a bell-crank lever pivotally connected to said guide rodswith one arm extending transversely of the end of the expansion tubeadjacent thereto and the other arm projecting downward longitudinally ofthe expansion tube, and means for connect-- ing said last-mentioned armof the lever to the boiler feed valve to open and close the same as theexpansion tube varies in length.

5. In a boiler feed regulator, the combination with an expansion tube,and means for connecting said tube to a boiler at the normal water leveltherein, of a bell-crank lever having one arm extending transversely ofsaid tube adj acent its end, a stud connected to said end oftheexpansion tube and adapted to be adjusted longitudinally of said tube byrotation, said stud having an extremity rotatably engaging the arm ofthe bell-crank lever so as to permit adjustment of the stud, means forconnecting the other arm of the bell-crank lever to the boiler feedvalve to open and close the same as the expansion tube varies in length,and means for supporting said parts.

6. In a boiler feed regulator, the combination with an expansiontube'and means for a socket for said tube, a drain tube extendingdownward from said socket, rods extending from said base longitudinallyof said tube at opposite sides thereof, a closing cap on said tubehaving sleeves receiving said rods a yoke connecting the ends of saidrods and having a tongue projecting laterally from the line of the tube,a bell crank lever fulcrumed on said tongue with a short arm extendingacross the said cap of said expansion tube and a long arm extendinglongitudinally of the tube, and means for connecting the end of saidlong arm to the boiler feed valve to open and close the same as the tubevaries in length.

7. In a boiler fee-d regulator, the combination with a boiler feed pipehaving a valve therein, of a base mounted on said feed pipe, anexpansion tube seated in said base and connected to the boiler at normalWater-level therein, a drain for said expansion tube leading from saidbase, rods extending from said base longitudinally of said expansiontube on opposite sides thereof, a yoke connecting said rods and having atongue projecting laterally from the line of the tube of the firstclass, a bell crank lever fulcrumed on said tongue with a short armextending across the end of the expansion tube and a long arm extendinglongitudinally thereof toward the base, a second bell crank levermounted on one edge of said base beneath the said tongue with one armconnected to said long arm and its other arm connected to the stem ofthe feed valve.

8. In a boiler feed regulator, the combination with a boiler feed pipeand a valve therein, of a base having an extension secured to said valveand supporting the base an expansion tube seated in said base anconnected to the boiler at normal waterlevel therein, a drain for saidexpansion tube, a support on the base for said expansion tube, abellcrank lever fulcrume-d on said support with a short arm extendingover the end of said tube and a long arm extending longitudinally ofsaid tube adjacent thereto, and means for connecting the lower end ofsaid long arm to said valve to open and close the same as the expansiontube expands and contracts.

9. In a boiler feed regulator, the combination with an open-endedexpansion tube, a feed pipe leading to said boiler, and a valve in saidfeed pipe, of a base fixed on said valve and having a socket for saidexpansion tube, a drain leading from said socket, rods extending upwardfrom said base piece at opposite sides of said tube, a yoke connectingsaid rods above said tube, a bell-crank lever fulcrumed on said yokewith a short arm extending over the expansion tube and a long armextending downward adjacent to said tube, a cap for the upper end of theexpansion tube having means for connection to the boiler, adjustablemeans on said can adapted to engage said short arm, a lower bell-crankhaving one arm connected to said long arm of the upper bell-crank andits other arm engaging the valve stem, and a weight normally holdingsaid valve closed.

WILLIAM F. KRICHBAUM.

In the presence of CORNELIUS ZABRISKIE, FRANoEs E. BLODGETT.

Copies of this patent ma be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

